Filling carrier for shuttleless looms



May 15, 1962 R. H. BROWN, JR., ETAL 3,034,539

FILLING CARRIER FOR SHUTTLE'LESS LOOMS Filed March 11, 1960 IN VEN TOR. RALPH h! B/eaw/v 2.

By IVAUZ/C'EK FLAMA/va United States This invention pertains to improvements in a filling carrier for use in shuttleless looms, that is, in looms of a type in which the filling is supplied from a source outside of the shuttle or filling inserting means itself.

It is a general object of the invention to improve the construction and operational characteristics of the filling carrier herein described.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the filling receiving or extending carrier common in looms of the type herein described with a single pronged element of strip spring material which shall serve as a combined trapping and tensioning means for the transferred filling being extended through the shed.

It is a further object of the invention to improve the construction of the filling receiving or extending carrier whereby any lint or other foreign matter which should become lodged between the hooked member and the tension device will be cleared therefrom in a positive manner by the filling itself on each successive pick.

It is a further object to provide a filling receiving carrier which substantially eliminates unthreading after the filling has been received by that carrier and before it has become engaged by the hooked member as the direction of movement of the carrier is being reversed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a carrier that will not interfere with the warp threads through which it passes and which shall have its thread engaging parts so disposed as to receive the filling under the most favorable conditions and which shall more effectively trap and tension said filling than has heretofore been possible.

Other objects will become apparent from the following disclosure.

In so-called shuttleless looms, that is, those looms in which filling is supplied from an outside source and is not carried to and fro through the shed by the shuttle or carrier itself, it is customary to insert each pick of filling by two reciprocating elements, one of which may hereinafter be referred to as an inserter or inserting member and the other of which receives or has transferred to it that loop of filling projected into the shed by the first member and which may hereinafter be referred to as a filling receiving or filling extending carrier. The latter member is normally provided with a hooked element by which the filling is seized and trapped and through which or past which, the filling may move endwise so that the action of the carrier to which the said inserted loop is transferred is one of merely drawing through or extending an end which will have been severed to the precise length to complete the pick. It is customary to provide some sort of tensioning means functioning in cooperation with the hooked member on such filling extending carriers, examples of which are disclosed in United States Patents 2,586,638 and 2,705,508. The trapping and tensioning means for the filling in such carriers made prior to the instant invention have not always functioned with complete satisfaction in that unthreading has been experienced due to the filling on occasions not being properly guided to or received by the hooked member of said carrier, in which case it has a tendency to slip from between the carrier and the trapping guard attached thereto due to the direction of tension which the filling is subjected to as it is being extended through the shed. Accumulated lint or other foreign matter has not on all atent i 3,fi34,539 Patented May 15, 1962 occasions been immediately removed from beneath the tensioning device during the transferring or threading cycle and results in a very undesirable condition whereby the possibility of introducing short picks is very likely as well as losing the proper amount of tension on the filling thread as it is being extended which would consequently result in a fabric of inferior quality.

According to the invention the receiving carrier, sometimes referred to as the filling extending carrier, which draws or extends the loop of filling inserted by the inserting member through the shed comprises an improved hooked member designed to work in conjunction with a combined, single pronged trapping and tension device, the combination of which insures positive and proper transfer of the filling on each and every pick of the loom. Additionally, the current invention assures constmt tension of the filling thread by the filling receiving carrier by automatically clearing the tensioning device of all lint or foreign matter during each transfer cycle. This is accomplished by the filling itself as it passes between the trapping and tensioning member and the hooked portion of the filling extending carrier.

The invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail by reference to the accompanying figures of drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of the filling extending carrier without the combined trapping and tensioning member assembled thereto.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the carrier shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the carrier shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view like that of FIG. 3, but with the combined trapping and tensioning member assembled thereto.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the filling extending carrier of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional View taken at line 66 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the combined trapping and tensioning device.

Now referring to the figures of drawing, the actual means of functioning of this type of loom and the meth- 0d of introducing the filling carriers for delivery, transfer and extending the filling are well known to those skilled in the art; therefore it is considered satisfactory at this point to call attention to a number of patents which are illustrative of the type of loom to which the instant invention is applicable.

Reference is hereby made to the information disclosed in patents numbered 1,515,102; 1,883,354; 2,191,376 and 2,604,123.

Preferably flexible carriers or tapes it) are employed to reciprocate the thread carrying members themselves which are caused to enter the shed and to be Withdrawn therefrom, extending inwardly to meet and transfer the filling at a point somewhere adjacent to the center of the shed of the fabric. As the carriers reverse their direction of motion the filling extending carrier extends the inserted loop of filling through the remaining portion of the shed to complete the picking cycle.

Attached by some suitable means to the tape 10 is a filling gripping or extending member generally indicated by numeral 11 which comprises a vertical side plate 12 which at its leading end terminates in the form of a point 13. The vertical plate 12 has formed integrally with it at one end a web 14 the front inclined surface 15 of which is disposed at a substantial angle to the vertical. The trailing end 16 of the filling gripping or extending member itself, FIG. 2, is tapered so as to blend with the tape 10 thereto which it is attached. Additionally, the forward end of tape 10 is also tapered so as to conform dimensionally with the trailing end 16. The vertical plate 12 is supplemented at its forward end by a substantially flat, laterally extending top surface 17 whereby the two surfaces form somewhat of an L-shaped section as shown in FIG. 5. The top surface 17 has extending therefrom an inclined forward surface 18 from which a lower surface 19 extends rearwardly to the vertical plate 12. A filling engaging hook 20 is formed entirely below the top surface 17 and entirely as a part of the lower surface 19 and the inclined forward surface 18 and blends in with a curved leading inclined surface 21 and point 13 forming a filling engaging tip.

FIG. 7 illustrates the combined trapping and tensioning member generally indicated by numeral 22 and which assembles to the front inclined surface of web member 14 by means of a plate 23 having two adjacently positioned tapped holes which plate overlies said trapping and tensioning member 22, the combination of which is secured in position by screws 24 and 25. The trapping and tensioning member 22 has its leading end 26 in spring contact with the inclined forward surface 18 whereby the filling yarn is adapted to be received therebetween. The trapping and tensioning member 22 incorporates a laterally extending lip 27 designed to underlie hook portion 20. During the transfer cycle, the filling yarn itself which is guided by surface 21 and thence between surface 18 and the leading end 26 of the combined trapping and tensioning element 22 clears in a positive manner all lint or foreign matter which may have become lodged therein and which could very easily result in an undesired condition of losing or decreasing the desired amount of filling yarn tension as it is being extended through the remaining portion of the shed. Rearwardly and adjacent to the top surface 18 a pocket 28 is formed into which the filling yarn is received at time of transfer. The trailing edge of the top surface 17 is tapered rearwardly blending into the vertical plate 12 thus forming a surface to guide the filling yarn into the hook member as the direction of movement of the carrier is reversed. To safeguard against unthreading and to assure that the filling yarn is properly threaded, the laterally extending lip 27 underlies the tip portion of the hook thereby directing said filling into the hook member 20, as well as retaining it under tension between surface 18 and leading end 26 of the combined trapping and tensioning element 22, when the filling extending carrier reverses its direction of motion to extend the inserted loop of filling through the remainder of the shed.

The trapping and tensioning member 22 has at its points of assembly elongated holes 29 and 30 through which screws 24 and pass to assemble said member to surface 15. The elongated holes 29 and serve as a means to provide lengthwise adjustment of the tensioning member 22, thus enabling the thread opening 31 to be increased or decreased in size to minimize the possibility of cutting out warp threads depending on the sley as Well as to allow for various sizes of filling which may be employed.

In operation, the carrier enters the shed without interference with warp threads since its entering end is properly tapered as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It meets the inserting carrier and the filling presented by that member enters this carrier being guided into the trap by the curved surface 21 and the tensioning member 22. Filling meets little resistance while entering the carrier, but when it has become trapped and the carrier starts its return movement, the filling is so controlled or guided that the cut end drags through between the surfaces 18 of the hooked end and of the end 26 of the trapping member. It cannot escape or run out from under the tensioning trap because of lip 27. Also, in entering at the threading of the filling in the carrier, lint or other matter is pushed out from the surfaces so that filling tension cannot be effected by such foreign matter.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. For a loom having reciprocable carriers by which filling from an outside source of supply is inserted within sheds formed by warp threads, a filling receiving carrier for receiving a loop of filling from a companion carrier adapted to insert that loop part way through a warp shed and for extending an end fiom said filling loop across the remainder of the shed, which comprises, a hooked member and a combined trapping and tension member, said hooked member having an inclined forward surface, a lower surface extending rearwardly therefrom, and a filling engaging hook portion formed entirely as a part of said two surfaces, said trapping and tension member having an end portion in spring contact with said inclined surface.

2. For a loom having reciprocable carriers by which filling from an outside source of supply is inserted with in sheds formed by warp threads, a filling receiving carrier. for receiving a loop of filling from a companion carrier adapted to insert that loop part way through a warp shed and for extending an end from said filling loop across the remainder of the shed, which comprises, a hooked member and a combined trapping and tension member, said'hooked member having an inclined forward surface with a hook portion formed entirely below said top surface and as a part of said inclined surface, and said trapping and tension member having an end in spring contact with said hook portion whereby a filling yarn is adapted to be received between said inclined surface and said member and also to be tensioned therebetween during the extending of said yarn across the shed.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said hook portion includes a filling engaging tip formed at the junction of said forward and lower surfaces, and wherein said trapping and tension member includes a camming lip extending therefrom in overlying relation with said tip.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said hooked portion includes a curved leading edge adapted to guide the filling yarn between said inclined surface and said com bined trapping and tension member.

5. For a loom having reciprocable carriers by which filling from an outside source of supply is inserted with in sheds formed by warp threads, a filling receiving car rier for receiving a loop of filling from a companion carrier adapted to insert that loop part way through a Warp shed and for extending an end from said filling loop across the remainder of the shed, which comprises, a hooked member and a combined trapping and tension member, forming a pocket therebetween, said hooked member having an inclined forward surface, a lower sur face extending rearwardly therefrom, a filling engaging hook portion formed entirely as a part of said two surfaces, said trapping and tension member having an end portion in spring contact with said inclined surface, and said hooked member further including a curved leading surface for guiding a filling yarn into said pocket, and means for guiding the filling yarn into said hook portion when the direction of movement of said carrier is reversed.

6. For a loom having reciprocable carriers by which filling from an outside source of supply is inserted within sheds formed by warp threads, 21 filling receiving carrier for receiving a loop of filling from a companion carrier adapted to insert that loop part way through a warp shed and for extending an end from said filling loop across the remainder of the shed, which comprises ahooked member and a combined trapping and tension member, said hooked member having an inclined forward surface, a lower surface extending rearwardly therefrom, and a filling engaging hook portion formedentirely as a part of said two surfaces, said trapping and tension member having an end portion in spring contact with said inclined surface and further defining an opening therewith, said members being relatively adjustable lengthwise to vary the size of said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

